PIB Headquarters
Samarth and Skill India schemes boost the morale of the textile industry
Armed with government support, Industry hopes to fight back with all might
The lock down due to COVID crisis has affected the textile industry and livelihood of textile labourers . The Government has issued Guidelines for restarting various industries, manufacturing units with safety precautions after almost a month. The National disaster Management authority has issued detailed guidelines on how to restart plants taking precautions and ensuring Covid-19 prevention measures.
The NDMA guidelines said while restarting a unit the first week should be considered as the trial or test run period after ensuring all safety protocols. Companies should not try to achieve high production targets. There should be 24 hours santisation of the factory premises.
Tiruppur District Collector Thiru. K. Vijayakarthikeyan informed Textile industries have commenced operation adhering to the norms set out by the Government. The Collector also visited the Textile industries and reviewed the preventive measures. While speaking to FOB Coimbatore, Shri Raja Shanmugam, President of Tirupur Exporters Association said Covid-19 lockdown had an unfavourable impact on Textile industry. Closure of World Market had worst hit the industry affecting the livelihood of more than 6 lakhs people. Considering the welfare of the labourers and the industries, he suggested ESI monthly contribution payment waiver for both Employers and Employees and financial support to the industries to settle the existing imbalance. However he said the Union government's Samarth scheme became a boon to the weavers community in Tiruppur especially woman who gained training through this scheme.
In 2017 the ministry of Textiles  Government of India introduced a new scheme titled "Scheme for capacity building in Textile sector  which is known as Samarth. The Samarth is launched with a view to transform the unskilled manpower to skilled workforce in Various sectors like Garment, knitting, processing, manmade synthetic fibres and other unorganized textile sector including Traditional sectors like jute silk, Handloom, Handicraft by running the skill development programme in these sub sectors across the country.
Shri. Nataraj from Magilam Trust , Tirupur says that they are offering many skill training courses to enhance the Woman Self Employment Service in association with Central Government's Skill India Scheme. They are prioritizing handloom sector for it's growth and development.
Ms.Satya from Vellaikoil Tiruppur District says under the skill India programme she has taken the weavers training. It gave confidence and this kind of training is unheard so far in their area and she thanked the Central Government for this initiative.
Ms.Gracy Angel from Vellaikoil , Tiruppur too thanked the Government for the weavers training under skill India. She said after seeing her parents working she also went for the skill training in weaving and now she is happy to support her parents .
Smt Jeyalakshmi from Vellaikoil Tiruppur says she was very much interested in Handloom weavers training and she utilised the Central Government initiative for learning the trade .
Though the Covid-19 lockdown had inflicted difficulties in the lives of people in the Textile city of Tiruppur, the innovative skill development schemes of union government had kept them confident and undeterred that they rise above like phoenix bird flying out of fire.
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